This site is dedicated to all people living with celiac disease and learning to live gluten-free.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Gluten Free and Autistic Spectrum Disorders

I have a theory that I want to share with anyone who will listen. I do believe that a gluten free diet would benefit children on the spectrum. Gluten is a toxic protein for everyone. We cannot digest it properly and thus chaos erupts! I cannot tell you how many people I have met that have children on the spectrum and also have celiac disease. I believe there is a connection. My own son has spectrum issues.

I believe 30% of all Americans carry these celiac genes. Wouldn't it be something if we could find out what specific genes these children on the spectrum have in common! I also believe that the genes are triggered by the vaccination schedules. I am not against vaccinations, however, I would suggest that you develop your own schedule and ask the doctors to separate them (especially the MMR). They can do this, but this is inconvenient for the doctor. Do what you know your GUT is telling you! (No pun intended)

Many parents say that the GF diet doesn't work for their children. If you cheat once in a while and give them a gluten-filled snack, it won't work. Also, you may not be aware of the hidden gluten-containing ingredients in everyday foods- Rice Krispy treats have malt flavoring (malt is made from barley and that contains gluten!)

You may be toasting their GF bread in the same toaster that you toast your Wonder bread. This is a cross-contamination issue. Crumbs can contaminate the GF bread etc...

If you are going to try a GF diet for your child on the spectrum, you need to educate yourself on the hidden gluten containing ingredients, why you can not cheat, and possible cross contamination issues in your kitchen.

I have not mention casein free (CF) information because I do not know enough about this to share. Please visit http://www.gfcfdiet.com/

50 comments:

The best gluten-free cookies for kids I've come across so far are the Patsypie chocolate chip and peanut butter ones from Canada. My daughter likes them as much as any cookie she's ever eaten. More importantly, her non-celiac friends like them too. If you go to their website, you can see where they're sold in the Chicago area.

I'm an academic physician (formerly at Harvard and Stanford) who found your blog while looking for the best health writers. I think your writing is great! I would like to feature you in the Allergies Community on Wellsphere, a top 10 health website that has well over 2 million visitors monthly.

If you would like to learn more, just drop me an email to Dr.Rutledge@wellsphere.com

Good Morning! I’d love if you would be so kind as to pass on this unique opportunity to your patients, students, or anyone else who may be interested -

Simple Mills, Inc. a start-up company out of Chicago, is currently seeking Brand Ambassadors across the country to be the face of our brand, and to help us grow consumer awareness, engagement and trial of Simple Mills products. Our nutrient-dense mixes are gluten-free, dairy-free, Non-GMO, low-glycemic, contain no refined sugar, and are Paleo/Vegan-friendly!

Brand Ambassadors will be responsible for organizing/attending various field marketing events, including in-store product demonstrations. The time commitment for these opportunities is approximately 5-25 hours per week. Please forward a current resume to jenna@simplemills.com, along with a brief summary of why you are interested in becoming a Brand Ambassador for the company, and as a fun aside, let us know what food items we'd find in your kitchen if we paid you a surprise visit today.